Vampire Academy series #4Hardcover: 512 pages
Price: $10.19 from Amazon
Summary: I'm not going to post the summary because I don't want to ruin the plot for those who haven't read it yet, but I'm sure many of you that are interested in reading Blood Promise already know what's going to happen. Read on for a spoiler-free review!
Rating:
Review: I've read all of the books in the Vampire Academy series (so I might be a bit biased here), but I loved reading the past three and Blood Promise was no exception. I love the world Richelle Mead has created and felt that this book was a perfect mix of vampire action and romance.
I do think that the begininning started a bit slow. However, this will be good for new readers to the series that don't feel like reading the past three books. Rose goes through a lot of flashbacks, summarizes her recent experiences, and identifies key terms that someone new to the series might not know, allowing you to jump right in. As a veteran reader though, I could have used less of an introduction, but it did refresh me on what happened in Shadow Kiss. I can say that once the plot got going though, with all the Strigoi butt-kicking and some personal trauma, I really got into the book!
As for the characters, I love Rose, of course, who is one of my favorite strong heroines in the YA books I have read. Rose shows determination and strength while still managing to have a big-heart and vulnerability. She's bold where I'm not, she's courageous where I'm not, and she's basically a young woman with a great sense of confidence and personal identity that I only wish I could be. I definitely love her, and I would find it hard not to sympathize or empathize with her during her journey. The other characters are pretty much the same, engaging and unique, and I don't have much to comment on about them, especially since this book mainly focuses on Rose and her relationships with Lissa and Demetri. New characters are introduced though, one of the more note-worthy ones is probably her father!
Richelle Mead again ends with a super cliff-hanger ending. I felt this one was more bearable than Shadow Kiss's ending which, to me, was absolutely horrible because it was so open-ended and controversial. I wasn't entirely satisfied with Blood Promise's ending either, but that was probably because I've sort of converted to an Adrian fan. I started to like Adrian after he acted so gallantly at the end of Shadow Kiss, and more of his deep and sweet side is uncovered in Blood Promise. Not to say I don't love sexy, tall Demetri too (just not more), so please don't kill me!
Bottom Line: Blood Promise (and the Vampire Academy series in general) is definitely a read that I would reccomend. It has a great mix of action and romance and successfully explores the mind of an older teen, Rose, without making her seem too bratty or cliché. The characters are unique and relateable, and Rose's voice comes off the page. With complex relationships, manipulation, staking, romance, and hot vampires, Blood Promise is definitely not a book you'll want to miss! And you get a beautiful cover and thought-provoking title as part of the bargain. (:
